First to achieve validation for a CarbonFix project in North America
The Rainforest Alliance has validated an afforestation project of CO2 Environment to the standards of CarbonFix, making the Quebec-based project the first in North America to meet the rigorous requirements for worldwide climate forest projects. CO2 Environment projects aim to reforest degraded lands in order to obtain carbon credits.
Located in the greater metropolitan area of Montreal, Canada, this project covers a total area of 109.6 hectares (270.8 acres) and has the potential to sequester a total of 41,890 tCO2e, equal to the annual emissions of 8000 compact cars. The project focuses on the reforestation of degraded and unused lands in urban areas, in addition to the regeneration of ecosystems and the creation of green spaces.
As the first CarbonFix validated project in North America, the developers of CO2 Environment pioneered the concept of an urban afforestation project that has the goal of selling carbon credits to finance the project’s cost.
"CO2 Environment has a simple, common sense approach to afforestation that makes you wonder why nobody did this before,” said Alex Boursier, Canadian regional forestry manager at the Rainforest Alliance. “We hope to see more projects like this in the near future -- that's good news for the planet, for biodiversity and for those who support the voluntary carbon market."
CarbonFix is a leading climate forest standard developed by the non-profit organization CarbonFix along with more than 60 different forestry and development aid organizations worldwide The standard developers aim to increase the amount of sustainably managed forests and decrease global carbon dioxide levels. Projects that meet the CarbonFix Standard are socially and ecologically responsible.
“We are proud to have achieved validation as the first CarbonFix project in North America,” said Pierre-Luc Lamontagne, vice president and founder of CO2 Environment. “Choosing a high quality standard is one thing, but having it validated by the Rainforest Alliance is a proud accomplishment and a significant step for the future of our company.”
According to Boursier, the validation demonstrates how small scale afforestation projects can be feasible and highlights the ability to forge public and private partnerships to create environmentally beneficial projects. Independent, third-party assessments of forest carbon projects are essential to establishing the value of carbon credits and ensuring the credibility of individual projects and the overall market. The Rainforest Alliance conducts rigorous, transparent and high-quality audits of forestry and agroforestry projects against a wide range of voluntary standards and is accredited by the American National Standards Institute to ISO 14065:2007, the international standard for greenhouse gas validation and verification bodies.